Havana: Feeding the city on urban agriculture
Havana, Cuba, is a world leader in urban agriculture. After the collapse of the Soviet Bloc, food production was decentralised from large mechanised state farms to urban cultivation systems. Today more than 50 per cent of Havana’s fresh produce is grown within the city limits, using organic compost and simple irrigation systems.
When the Soviet Bloc collapsed in 1989, Cuba lost its food imports and agricultural inputs from which it depended for an adequate supply of food. The US Embargo also created a shortage of petrol necessary to transport the food from the rural agriculture sector to the city. This marked the beginning of serious food shortages that shook the entire country, but most of all Havana.
When these sources where cut off and food shortages began, Havana residents responded en masse, planting food crops on porches, balconies, backyards and empty city lots. The Cuban Ministry of Agriculture and Havana's city government supported this grassroots movement, jointly forming an Urban Agriculture Department in 1994. This department first focused on securing land use rights for urban gardeners and committed itself to provide land - free of charge - to all residents who wanted to grow food in the city. Today, the Ministry advice and disseminate knowledge based on the principles of organic agriculture and usually plays a pivotal role in the start-up and functioning of the popular gardens and horticulture clubs. They also operate centres, selling agricultural supplies like seeds.
While Havana's urban agriculture has taken on many forms - ranging from private gardens (huertos privados) to state-owned research gardens (organicponicos) Havana's popular gardens (huertos populares) are the most widespread. Cuban statistics are difficult to get, but in 1995 it was estimated that there were 26,600 popular garden parcels (parcelas) throughout the 43 urban districts that make up Havana's 15 municipalities. The popular gardens range in size from a few square meters to three hectares. Shared use of the popular gardens, range from one to seventy people per garden site. The sites are usually vacant or abandoned plots due to collapsed houses located in the same neighbourhood, if not next door to the gardeners' household. Gardens are cultivated on concrete ground.
A wide selection of produce is cultivated depending on family needs, market availability and suitability with the soil and locality. Garden productivity has been achieved with minimal external inputs, applying principles of organic agriculture i.e. low cost, readily available, and environmentally sustainable. Gardeners seldom use chemical fertilizers. Instead they rely on organic fertilizers in the form of chicken or cow manure, compost from household food waste and occasionally vermiculture (the use of worms). Farmers often maximize the use of land by cultivating multilayer crops, i.e. crops in the ground, on the ground and above the ground at the same time. A popular combination includes cassava (providing shade), sweet potatoes (providing good ground cover) and beans (fixating the soil with nitrogen).
Some predicted that with the easing up of the food crisis, Cuban’s urban gardens would fade away. But just the opposite has happened. Havana’s farms and gardens are steadily increasing, both in size and number, but most importantly in quality. They have had a visible impact on the food security of the city and in improving the Cuban diet. The gardens also bring environmental benefits. Many empty lots, which earlier were informal garbage dumps, are now beautiful gardens that provide food to local communities and improve neighbourhood aesthetics and health.
Comments
Really interesting. New York City also has lot's of community gardens where some are used to grow veggies. The Northern countries should have more greenhouse gardens in the cities for locally produced fruit & veg.
I am happy for your comments. You are right that northern countries should produce more fruits and vegetables locally in cities. We are aware of the New York City's community gardens and hope to create a case about it soon. Please tell us if you can recommend other cases or want to open discussions on this important issue
Julie
Growing Power , a charitable land trust in Milwaukee, appears to be a leader in urban Winter food growing.
Bill.
This is amazing. We have to learn from each other. I hope President Obama extends a hand to Cuba.
Havana is a once beautiful city in near complete decay!
This web site is very pathetic. It is hard to believe you are seriour!
This is wonderful & inspiring. The spirit of survival & cooperation of these people is magnificent. To be feeding themselves & their families such healthy food shows they are switched on to the true riches of this world & eventually their city will also prosper again architecturally when the strength from this nourishment manifests. They deserve credit for such wholesome & creative solutions to their economic problems. May peace & joy be with you & may the people of Australia & other countries be influenced by you. Thankyou for bringing this story to me.
This is so cool!, and a great idea as well. Go Cuba!!!!
Cuba the journey was forced apon them and yes out of adversity comes triump, For me it is a natural progression as we well know we cant go on the way we are . I am very thankfull for the example that that cuba has given us, as difficult it has been for the people they have survived and thrived with a great sense of community and addressed more than thier basic needs , followed on by the scholastic results of a nation that values all people. I live in a community that is tied up in all sorts of red tape seeming like we cant take steps to save ourselves, year after year I sat as the children whose families chose an alternative lifestyle won all the awards at speech night but its like the citizens didnt see , they didnt see that if we remove the electronic media distractions and provide for ourselves we may live a fruitfull life . I laugh HaHa so much fitter and in touch. We have government subsidies for rain watertanks but you may use them only on the garden or for flushing the toilet not for drinking we are supposed to drink the disgusting treated water (supplied water) by the local authority. We are so wound up in red tape that nothing good and innovative can possibly happen . We are the outback australia dry and needy , no education for our children or ourselves almost like we shouldnt be here.Thank You So Much Cuba.
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